The Fighter
by favoritehello-hardestgoodbye
Summary: For the first time in her life, Spencer Hastings couldn't figure out the answers. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that not knowing the answer may just be the answer in itself.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys..I'm back! :)

For those of you who have kept up with my other story, Fix You, I will have a new chapter up for it sometime in the near future.

I had an inspiration to write this, and I've spent most of my day trying to plot this story out. This chapter is a lot of Sparia, and it is mostly just an introductory chapter. The next chapter is where the story will really begin. There's not going to be an -A, this is VERY loosely based on the show.

Enjoy! Please leave reviews, you guys are what keeps me going. :)

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"Are you sure you don't want me to curl your hair?" Aria Montgomery asked her friend Spencer Hastings, who seemed to be too interested in her French textbook to respond.

"Spencer?" Aria asked again, shaking her curling wand in front of Spencer's face. Still, no answer. How can she be THAT focused on a stupid homework assignment? Aria mentally asked herself.

"Spencer!" Aria smacked the top of Spencer's head.

"Oww, what do you want?" Spencer rubbed the top of her head, tousling her naturally wavy chestnut hair.

"Let me curl it," Aria pleaded, moving her hands into a praying position.

"Why should I let you do that? It's not like anyone's actually going to notice me," Spencer laughed, rolling her eyes.

"You never know. You've bought a beautiful dress and if you really let me talk you into buying six inch heels for this dance tonight, I think I'll win the argument if you don't agree to this yourself," Aria said back. Spencer sighed loudly in response, but moved to her red chair in the corner so Aria could easily do her hair.

"Do you really think Caleb's mom actually got us a limo for tonight?" Spencer asked, breaking the silence that had gradually overcome the room.

"I hope so! She normally doesn't go back on what she tells him. I'm glad that his family moved to Rosewood, it's making Hanna really happy having them here," Aria marveled, and she was right. Ever since Caleb's birth family moved into town, Hanna had changed into a different person. Her friends figured it was just because Caleb no longer had to leave her, but they were happy for her regardless.

"What time is it? I still have to get dressed," Spencer moaned, resisting the urge to toss her head back.

"It's ten after four, the limo's supposed to be at Hanna's at five. Do you have enough time?" Aria responded, wrapping Spencer's hair faster around the wand.

"Yeah, I think so. Didn't Hanna mention that Caleb was bringing a friend to dinner with us?" Spencer nervously asked. She was the only one going tonight who didn't have a date, but she didn't want to be set up with a stranger either.

"Oh, I totally forgot about that!" Aria exclaimed, nearly burning Spencer's forehead with her curling wand. Spencer groaned in reply. She _was_ going to be set up with a stranger. Great.

"Oh, come on Spence. Caleb wouldn't set you up with someone totally weird. Even if he wanted to, Hanna wouldn't let him. It'll be fine, maybe he'll be really cute," Aria assured, ruffling Spencer's curls with her hands.

"You're dooooone," Aria sang, handing Spencer a mirror. Spencer had to admit that Aria did a good job. Her hair fell in bouncy ringlets around her shoulders, contrasting with her white skin. To finish the job, Spencer grabbed bobby pins from her desk, pulling her hair back and pinning two right above her left ear.

"Oh my gosh, you look amazing!" Aria squealed, "Whoever this 'friend' of Caleb's is, he's not going to be able to take his eyes off of you," she stated, winking at Spencer before grabbing her things.

"Goodbye, Aria," Spencer laughed, grabbing her dress from her closet as Aria exited her bedroom.

She had to admit that as much as she found Rosewood's dances silly, she always looked forward to buying a new dress for each of them. Tonight's special occasion was an Autism awareness fundraiser, which struck home, considering she spent three consecutive summers volunteering for a special needs program in Philadelphia.

Spencer laid her dress on her bed, admiring it for a few minutes before putting it on. The dress was strapless, and fell just above her knees. It was a shimmering red in color, with brown mesh layered underneath. A large flower design was at the left breast, shimmering in tones of dark red, gold, and brown. Rhinestones danced all the way down the side, wrapping around to the back of the dress. Spencer herself was shocked at how different she looked. Spencer didn't think of herself as self conscious, but she would never have described herself as stunning until that moment. She quickly pushed the gold and diamond earrings she had "borrowed" from Melissa for the night through her ears, feeling a sting of guilt as she did. She knew they were Melissa's most expensive earrings, and that Melissa would murder her if she found out, but tonight was a special occasion.

After putting on her makeup and perfecting the appearance of her red lipstick, Spencer slipped on her Christian Louboutin gold metallic heels and walked out of her room as if she were on a runway, calling Aria when she got to the bottom of the stairs to let her know she was on her way to Hanna's. Spencer was giddy with excitement, nearly skipping out to her car. She wasn't sure why tonight felt so special, but she knew it was going to be a fun night with her friends.

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So, what did you guys think? PLEASE leave reviews, and subscribe. I hope you guys liked it :)


	2. Chapter 2

Because I had the day off from school today and I'm super excited about this story, I decided to put up another chapter.

I also wanted to clear up any questions. Toby and Spencer haven't previously met. At the moment, Toby is just Caleb's friend. We can assume that he lives near Bucks County when the story began.

I hope you guys enjoy! Please leave reviews :)

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Ten minutes later, Spencer finally pulled into Hanna's driveway. She was shocked to see that she was the last one to arrive. Normally, Spencer beat even the host to a party. With one last silent prayer that everything would go okay, Spencer exited her car and walked to the front door. Before she could ring the doorbell, Hanna swung the door open, a wide smile on her face.

"Spence, you look awesome!" Hanna squealed, giving Spencer a tight hug. Hanna's one-shoulder dress was the same length as Spencer's. It was bright turquoise, and was showered in silver sequins. Her stilettos were silver as well, glittering against the light with every move she made.

Hanna let Spencer admire her dress for a second before grabbing her hand and leading her into the living room, where the rest of the crew sat. Aria's dress was all black, a contrast to the other girls' dresses. Sequined lace at the top, the material faded into a sheer mesh around her midsection, nearly revealing her stomach. Right above her hips, the mesh turned into feathers. Aria's dress was the most extravagant out of the girls, and also looked the most expensive.

Emily's dress was the simplest out of all four girls. Her dress had sheer long sleeves, with rhinestones gathering at her collarbone and wrists. The rest was covered in plain silver sequins, with the same rhinestone mesh gathering at the hem. She wore it with plain red pumps and matching lipstick. Emily didn't dress up much, but everyone agreed that she cleaned up really nicely when she did.

The boys were all in tuxedos, standing next to their dates. Emily brought Samara, who wore a silver dress similar to Emily's. Spencer was so caught up in how nice everyone around her looked that she almost missed the boy standing in the corner next to Caleb.

He had short brown-blonde hair, and glowing blue eyes. Spencer had to admit that this friend of Caleb's was far cuter than Hanna had let on to be. He also wore a tux, and Spencer could tell by looking at him that he was very muscular. Spencer must have been looking for longer than she thought, because before she knew it, he turned his head, making full eye contact with her. Spencer quickly looked away, embarrassed. _He probably thinks I'm a creep now_, Spencer thought to herself.

"Looks like the limo's here," Caleb announced, taking Hanna and leading her to the door. Aria and Ezra did the same, followed by Emily and Samara. This left Spencer and Caleb's friend at the back of the crowd.

"Hi," he said, walking towards Spencer so he could be next to her.

"Hello," Spencer responded back, giving him a sheepish smile in response._ He even sounds cute_, Spencer thought to herself, cursing herself for thinking bad things about this boy.

"I'm Toby," he said, sticking out his hand. "Toby Cavanaugh."

"Spencer Hastings," she responded, shaking his hand. Spencer couldn't help but notice the spark she felt when their hands touched. It was as if an electric current shot through his hand and into hers. Spencer almost instantly pulled her hand back, feeling herself blush.

"We should go before they start to suspect something," Spencer mumbled, feeling humiliated.

"After you," he replied, letting Spencer lead the way.

The Escalade limo looked huge on the outside, but sitting next to Toby made Spencer feel like they were in a clown car together. She replayed how they met over and over in her head, and she couldn't help but to feel extremely embarrassed. He had to have thought she was a freak. After all, who freaks out over something like a handshake? People shake hands all the time. But Spencer couldn't deny what she felt when their hands touched. She could still feel her fingertips tingling if she concentrated enough. Spencer quickly shooed those thoughts out of her mind, determined to not make a fool of herself for the rest of the night.

Fifteen minutes later, the crowd arrived at the Aspen, Rosewood's finest restaraunt, and were seated. Spencer sat across from Toby, trying extremely hard not to do anything humiliating.

"So, Spencer, what do you like to do?" Toby asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

"I play field hockey, and I read and write," Spencer said, taking a sip of water.

"That's nice," Toby replied.

"And you?" Spencer asked, attempting to keep the conversation going.

"I'm a carpenter, I like to make different things. Right now, I'm working on rocking chair designs for a company in Bucks County. If they like it, they'll hire me for a full time job," Toby responded, a smile growing on his face. Spencer didn't know much about Toby, but she could tell that he loved his work.

"You enjoy it, don't you?" Spencer asked, smiling back._ I'm actually carrying on a normal conversation with him_, Spencer thought, impressed with herself.

"Yeah, I started carving things out of my headboard when I was ten. I keep it now just for the memories. I started making things when I was fifteen. It was my way of keeping myself occupied after my mom passed," He mumbled, looking down at his hands.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Spencer apologized quickly, mentally scolding herself.

"It's okay, Spencer, you didn't know," Toby assured, giving her a sad smile.

"Um, I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be back," Spencer murmured. As she stood up, she knocked her glass of water over, spilling it all over Toby.

"Oh my God, I am so stupid, what's wrong with me? I'm so sorry, Toby," Spencer pleaded, grabbing as many napkins as she could to help clean up the mess.

"It's okay, will you bring those outside and help me clean up?" Toby asked. Spencer nodded rapidly, following half a step behind him on the way out.

"I really am so sorry, if you need another suit I can let you borrow one of my sister's fiance's for the night. I'm sorry, your night's probably ruined," Spencer sighed, handing Toby more napkins.

"Hey," Toby said softly, taking a step toward Spencer, "I'm okay. Don't worry about it. It was just water."

"I know, but I know that suit's expensive, and you're soaking wet. I'm glad you aren't mad at me," Spencer said, honestly relieved that Toby wasn't upset.

"It's no big deal, promise," Toby laughed, taking a seat on a bench nearby.

"Do you even want to go to this thing?" Spencer pressed, slowly walking towards him.

"Oh, God no, I just came because Hanna practically begged me. She said her cute friend needed a date for tonight," Toby claimed, a smirk growing on his face.

"She said that? Oh my God! She makes me sound so desperate," Spencer moaned, smacking her hand lightly to her face.

"I know how Hanna is, I figured she was being a little dramatic," Toby said, scooting over so Spencer could sit next to him. Spencer carefully sat down, making sure not to wrinkle her dress.

"You know, Hanna was wrong. You aren't cute," Toby began, "Spencer, you look absolutely stunning tonight."

"Thank you," Spencer marveled in surprise, feeling her cheeks turn pink.

"You wanna ditch this lame dance? We can just stop and make a donation," Toby suggested, standing up from the bench. He held his hand out, helping Spencer up.

"Sure, but what will everyone think if we just go off on our own?" Spencer asked. She knew how her friends were, especially Hanna. If Spencer went off with Toby, she would never hear the end of it.

"Just tell them you feel sick, and that I'm going to walk you home and make sure you're okay," Toby advised.

"Okay, I'll be back," Spencer said, turning around and walking back into the Aspen.

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"Ugh, my feet hurt," Spencer moaned, stopping to take off her heels. She was surprised that she made it this far, her house was less than a block away now.

"Here," Toby leaned over, untying his shoes. Before Spencer could respond, he handed her his shoes, leaving him with only black socks covering his feet.

"I can't take your shoes. I'll be fine, my house isn't far from here," Spencer reassured, handing him his shoes back. He refused to take them.

"Spencer, have you seen those? I don't know how you could walk in them in the first place," Toby pleaded.

"But what about you?" Spencer asked, feeling extremely guilty._ First you spill water all over him, and now you're taking his shoes_, Spencer thought. _Good job, Spence_.

"I'll be fiiiiine," Toby moaned. Without anymore questions, Spencer slid on Toby's shoes. They were twice the size of Spencer's, and she had to tie them so tight the laces wouldn't stretch any farther just to keep them from sliding off, but she had to admit that her feet felt a million times better.

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"Do you want some coffee?" Spencer asked, pouring herself a cup.

"Depends, do you make good coffee?" Toby asked, grinning at Spencer.

"I make the best coffee," Spencer proclaimed, pouring another cup and walking into her living room. Toby was sitting on the couch, wearing Melissa's fiance's sweats. His tux, still damp from earlier, was carefully laid out on the loveseat beside them. Spencer had changed as well, leaving her dress upstairs for a Rosewood High varsity field hockey hoodie and a black pair of yoga pants.

"Here you go," Spencer said, handing Toby his coffee before plopping on the couch beside of him. Toby took one gulp of coffee before spitting it back into the cup.

"Jesus, Spencer, what kind of coffee is this?" Toby said between coughs, handing her back the full cup.

"Extra dark espresso, it's the only thing that keeps me going in the morning. You get used the taste after a while," Spencer laughed, sitting the cup on the table in front of them.

"I am never letting you make me coffee again," Toby teased, throwing his head back in laughter.

"Again? So that's like a second date?" Spencer questioned, biting her lip.

"You know, I guess if I'm that determined for you to not make me coffee again, then yeah I guess there's gonna have to be a second date," Toby joked, but Spencer could tell he was being dead serious as well.

"So, what should we do? I mean, since this is our first date and all, shouldn't we do something special?" Spencer asked, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Go get your dress," Toby motioned upstairs, "I'll be waiting for you when you're done."

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Spencer stood in her bedroom mirror, making sure she didn't look awful before she made her way downstairs. She shook her fingers through her hair, readjusting her bobby pins. She put on a fresh layer of mascara and a light coat of lipstick on her lips. Spencer took one deep breath before she left her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

When Spencer walked down the hallway to get to the stairs, she noticed Toby's tux was missing from the couch. She turned the corner, and found Toby leaning against the kitchen counter, like she had just moments before.

"Wow," he said, completely in awe of the girl standing in front of him.

"You look really great tonight, Toby," Spencer declared, walking towards him.

"You're beyond beautiful, Spencer. Whether it's in a dress or in your sweats," Toby stated, nearly closing the distance between them. "Wanna dance with me?" Spencer nodded, a smile spreading from ear to ear. She walked to the stereo system in the corner of the room, turning it on the first song she knew. It was 'Sea of Love' by Cat Power, which was one of her favorites. Toby grabbed her by the hand, twirling her around before pulling her close to him. They swayed in silence for a few seconds before Toby spoke up.

"I'm really glad I got to meet you," Toby whispered in her ear, moving his hands to her waist.

"I'm glad I got to meet you too," Spencer murmured back, laying her head against his chest. She could feel his heart beating rapidly, giving away that he was nervous too.

"What are you nervous for?" Spencer asked quietly, tilting her chin up to meet his eyes. Before she could answer, he leaned down and kissed her. His lips weren't urgent, but instead like they were eager for more. They had only known each other for one night, but they could tell that there was something magical between them.

"I have to go," Toby pouted, "but I'll see you tomorrow for that second date."

"Goodnight, Toby," Spencer said softly, leaning on her tiptoes to kiss him one more time. She laid her forehead against his afterwards, staring into his nearly turquoise eyes.

"Goodnight, Spencer."

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I hope you guys liked it! Please subscribe & review, leave comments and/or suggestions! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! :)

This chapter is kind of another filler chapter, but I needed to publish this in order for the next chapter to be a smooth transition into where I want to go with this story, which I hope you guys will love. I also thought that you guys deserved a chapter since I haven't had the chance to update in a while.

Sorry for any grammatical errors, especially sentence structure because I'm working on two hours of sleep. Which is no excuse, and I tried my best to proofread this as many times as I could.

Enjoy! Hope this isn't awful. :)

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That night, Spencer barely slept. She laid awake in her bed for hours replaying the night's events in her head. Even when she finally fell asleep, all she could see in her dreams were Toby's face and his sparkling eyes staring into hers. Spencer didn't think it was possible to dwell so much over what happened in one night. Most of the girls that Spencer knew would be thinking about the crazy party they had attended that night, or how drunk they had gotten, while all she could think about was Toby.

Spencer woke up that morning to a knock on her front door. Thinking it was Aria or Hanna coming over for their Saturday morning coffee and magazine reading session, she padded down the stairs in her pajamas and slippers to let them in. Spencer swung the door open to see that it was Toby standing in front of her instead, a cup of coffee and a banana nut muffin in his hands. He wore faded blue jeans, a fitted gray T-shirt, and a huge grin on his face.

"I know this coffee probably isn't your type, but I figured it was the thought that counts. Nice PJ's, by the way," Toby smirked.

"Oh, shit!" Spencer gasped, realizing that she had bedhead and was wearing the least sexiest pajamas she owned. Embarrassed, she began to run towards the stairs.

"Make yourself at home, thanks for the coffee, I'll be down in a second!" Spencer yelled, speaking so fast that her words jumbled together.

In what seemed like one motion, Spencer hopped in the shower. She drowned herself in body wash and shampoo, and quickly dried her hair when she got out. She ripped an outfit from her closet, put on some mascara and a small amount of her favorite light pink tinted lip balm before coming back downstairs.

"I am so sorry you had to see me like that," Spencer said, an embarrassed-but-happy tone stringing through her words.

Toby, who was sitting on on the couch, let out a small laugh. He moved over, motioning her to sit next to him. Without hesitating, Spencer walked over and sat down next to him.

"Don't feel bad. You still look beautiful in the morning," Toby whispered in her ear, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"This sounds crazy, but I thought about you all night. I couldn't get you out of my head," Spencer confessed, looking him in the eyes. Toby's eyes were hypnotizing. You could know his whole story just by gazing into them. They were an innocent baby blue, but also had a bold, bright tint to them as well. Normally Spencer would've related this moment to a sappy romance movie, but being with him and saying those words felt so _real_.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you either. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see you walking down the stairs in that red dress. You're stunning," He said back, his voice barely audible.

Spencer responded by pulling him into her, their eyes meeting right before their lips touched. She felt as if someone had lit a firework inside of her stomach. She wove her fingers through his hair, bringing him closer to her and deepening the kiss. Toby carefully placed his hands on her waist, giving her hips a little squeeze as he lifted her onto his lap. His tongue slipped past her lips, and suddenly Spencer's head started to spin. She knew she would have to stop soon or she wouldn't be able to go back. Regrettably, she pulled away, laying her head on his chest. They were both out of breath, and Spencer could feel his chest rise and fall rapidly as he came down from their mutual high. They laid there for a few minutes before Toby finally broke the silence.

"Do you want to go out anywhere today?" Toby asked. Spencer sat up, lightly placing her hands on his waist.

"Where would we go? There's nothing to do here," Spencer said, aggravated for the millionth time that there were few things to do in Rosewood to pass the time

"There's a place near my loft that we can go," Toby suggested, grabbing her hands and intertwining his fingers with hers.

"Let's go!" Spencer exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Thirty minutes later, Spencer and Toby pulled up to a plain, run-down brown building. Like most of Bucks County, it was in the middle of nowhere. There were a few cars parked in the back, but the main parking lot was empty.

"Toby, where are we?" Spencer asked, completely confused. She wouldn't be caught dead by herself at a place like this. Places that looked like this seemed notorious for being robbed all the time, but she knew that Toby would keep her safe.

"You'll see. You trust me, don't you?" Toby asked, winking at Spencer before hopping out of his truck. He quickly walked around to the passenger side, opening the door for Spencer. He held her hand as she stepped out, and Spencer felt like a princess regardless of her surroundings. They walked hand-in-hand to the entrance, and Toby swung the door open. The inside of the building reeked of cigarettes and beer, and was very dimly lit.

"Again, where are we?" Spencer asked, trying to fight the urge to walk out.

"I told you, you'll see," Toby laughed, squeezing Spencer's hand. He lead her forward to the counter, leaning over the top to grab a set of keys. Toby spun the key ring around his finger before turning back to Spencer.

"Did you just steal those keys?" Spencer yelled, her voice laced with panic. Toby smiled in response, leading Spencer out of the building to a gray shed at the back.

"My dad's friend owns this place and he told me that I could use this shed for my work. Since I moved into my loft, I don't have any extra space," Toby explained as he unlocked a latch on the painted wooden door. He swung it open, revealing a makeshift workshop. The walls were painted white, and power tools were hanging neatly on the walls. The air inside smelled heavily of lumber, and carefully crafted items were strung around the interior.

"This is so cool!" Spencer exclaimed. Caleb said that Toby was good at his work, but Spencer didn't expect for him to be _this_ good.

"See? I told you to trust me," Toby soothed, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"I want you to make me something soon, okay?" Spencer asked, admiring the small finished pieces in the shed.

"I've already thought about it," Toby declared, and even though Spencer couldn't see him, she could hear a smile on his face.

"This one is my favorite," Spencer pointed towards a chair sitting in the corner, looking nearly forgotten among everything else. It was light in color, and there was a swirling pattern on the back. It looked the most professional out of everything, and must have taken him forever to complete.

"I was making it for my mom but she passed before I could give it to her," Toby mumbled, loosening his grip on Spencer's waist.

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it. I know she would have loved it," Spencer softly said, turning around to face him before giving him a tight hug. Though she hadn't known Toby long, she had already learned how sensitive he was about his mother's passing. They stood like that in silence for a very long time until Spencer spoke.

"Just know that I'm here for you, no matter when you need to talk. I hope that you trust me, and I hope you can talk to me about it. I may not be able to relate to you, but I won't tell a soul, and I'll try my hardest to make you feel better," Spencer murmured. She leaned up onto her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Thank you," he whispered, pulling her close to him again.

* * *

Spencer and Toby spent an hour in Toby's shed, talking about his work. When the shed finally got too hot for their liking, they decided to drive back to Rosewood.

"Toby, what are we?" Spencer asked as they pulled into her driveway.

"What do you mean?" He asked back, a look of confusion on his face.

"I mean, are we...in a relationship?" Spencer felt extremely awkward saying the word. She hated conversations like these, because they never ended well for her.

"I have never felt this way about a girl before. Never in my life have I seen someone so gorgeous that was interested in me. You're alluring, and you don't know that, but you are. You're almost contagious. I have wanted you since I watched you walk up your stairs to put that dress back on last night. I need to make you mine," Toby stated, his voice serious.

"That answers my question," Spencer murmured. She unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted close to Toby, pulling him in hard for a kiss.

"You know what we'll have to do soon, though?" Spencer groaned, already dreading what was to come.

"What?" Toby asked.

"We have to tell the girls," Spencer whined mockingly. Toby laughed before placing another kiss on her lips.

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